Marseille Secure Ligue 1

I wanted to follow up in this post on my earlier Marseille post. I'm certainly happy Marseille won becuase this is the first time it has happened since 1992. The clinched the title witha  3-1 home win over Rennes.Obviously the needed some help from Auxerre and they certianly got that; Auxerre lost 2-1 to Lyon at Lyon.

Clearly, Marseille's veterns came through and let their squad to a well deserved title. However, I think what is important to realize in all of this is that next year, for Marseille to follow up a season like this is definitely going to be one of the tougher tasks they take on. Following up any title for any club is difficult, but when you don't have many young, fresh legs out there it is even more difficult. Marseille's manager, Eric Gerets, is going to need to recruit lots of new talent. As I've said before, for MArseille, the next five years or so are going to have to be building seasons. But watch out in 2015 because these guys are going to be big time!

Jersey of the post: Nike Dempsey USA Away 10/11

Donovan joins Everton which leads to Cole injury

Now that US Soccer star, Landon Donovan, is on loan to Everton until the MLS season starts up again, Everton have gained a relatively good forward; in England he will have average speed, average size, but below par skill. However, these attributes of Donovan have given him the ability to injure England defender, Ashley Cole, of Chelsea. I guess this is one way to take down your opponent before the World Cup. Cole has sustained a broken ankle and will be out for three months.  More in-depth news at the official EPL website. Bad news for England. Now that they have lost one of their main defenders, what will happen in terms of their World Cup 2010 future? To me, it looked bleak to begin with so I don't think it will really matter.
As far as Landon Donovan is concerned, I never really have been a fan of him. He always, at least I believe, manages to really screw things up when it really counted - for example the MLS cup: Donovan and Beckham both helped their team lose to Real Salt Lake. Furthermore, Donovan is extremely overrated, especially here in the US. He really isn't that skillful nor does he do well every time he goes overseas; with Bayern Munich he struggled and now with Everton I can almost guarantee everyone that once again, he will struggle. Landon is an American level player and is not ready for the demands of English soccer like Dempsey and other players. Hopefully, Donovan catches on to this...soon of course.

A true American soccer sensation: Clint Dempsey.


Cleat of the post: The rare and unique Canterbury CCC Wero Elite.

Dempsey injury could hamper USA success in World Cup

Just a few days ago, Fulham and US soccer star, Clint Dempsey suffered what initially seemed to be a likely ACL or MCL tear in his knee. However, after going scans just yesterday it has been learned that he only has moderate damage and therefore, no surgery will be required. Although still a major concern for the US, his chances of being ready to play in the World Cup this summer are now greater and looking more plausible.
According to Fulham doctors and representatives, Dempsey most likely will be done for the EPL season and will be resting the knee as well as doing some physical therapy to get ready for South Africa. We US fans wish Dempsey the best in a quick and full, healthy recovery. South Africa here we come!!!

In lieu of Dempsey's injury, the cleat of the post is the newest, flashiest Nike Mercurial Vapor V - "wear it, cuz Dempsey does."

A Truly spectacular game... and other news

Amazing!!! First the US beats Spain and now they hold off Brazil for a good 46 minutes. Not only that, but in the first half, they were dominant with goals coming from both Dempsey (3 goals in the tournament) and Donovan. The US truly played some unreal soccer. For those Brazil fans, there was certainly much reason to be nervous yet anxious.
As we all know, Brazil simply never gives up. They play with style and flair and they make up some of the best talent in the world. After only 1 minute into the second half, Luis Fabiano scored to bring the lead down to one. And only 27 minutes later, the game was tied up with another goal by Fabiano (his fifth in the tournament). As time continued to shorten, the energy in the players and the stadium seemed to become more anxious and tense. The teams certainly did not want to be forced to play at least another 30 minutes with five games already under the belt. Fortunately for Brazil, captain Lucio came to the rescue. Although he had picked up a yellow card earlier, he did not allow that to affect his game; he scored an excellent goal off of a corner kick to give Brazil the winner.
However, important to note is that the US has come a long way. Just over a week ago, the US had lost 3-0 in group play to the Brazilians. Yet, the US didn't give up. As we all saw, they came back to defeat Spain and make it into the finals. Best of luck to the US in the World Cup!
Check out these highlights below. (ABD= US and BRE= Brazil)



In the consolation match, Spain barely managed to get the win over South Africa with a 3-2 win in extra-time.
Goals:
Spain - Daniel Güiza (87, 88), Xabi Alonso (106)
SA - Katlego Mphela (73, 90)

Other news in Europe:
Eto'o: Man City has made the biggest offer to buy Eto'o from Barca (to date). The 28-year-old scored 36 goals in all competitions - not bad to also add he scored in the Champions League final which helped lift his team over Man Utd. It will definitely be interesting to see where he heads next season.

A Semi-Final to be remembered.

I will begin by saying, WOW!!! I certainly did not see it coming and I am sure many of others didn't either. The USA didn't just win by a thin lead, it was somewhat convincing. Although both the American goals were scored due to the errors of the Spanish defense, a win is a win and there is nothing that can be done about it. However, I truly do feel bad for Sergio Ramos. Although he may have been the cause for Dempsey's second goal, it cannot be refuted that he is still an extremely good player; he did not realize that Dempsey was behind him, yet then again I question, why take the touch over simply clearing it out? This will be a question still to be answered for a very long time.



In the other semi-final, Brazil did not have the easiest of wins. In fact, there were multiple times where it seemed as if South Africa could have taken the lead and possibly gotten the win. Although they lost, this only proves that many more positive things are to come from the team that was not even expected to make it to the Semi's.

I am looking forward to what may be another upset for the USA. Don't miss it, tomorrow at 2:30 PM EST on ESPN and Univision.